From Mourning to Morning

Archives Available

August 25th 2016:Doula: A Midwife for the Dying

I don't remember who said it, but there is a comedian who once said: 'I'm not afraid of being dead, I am afraid of dying.'
And it's the truth, isn't it....
But there is help on the way, in the form of -mostly- women who call themselves 'a doula.' They are like a midwife to the dying and to their families. They do not take the place of hospice nurses, rather, they take care of those who are dying. They help the dying navigate the journey from this world to the next, they comfort the dying and they assis the family in whatever will be helpful.
My guest this week is Shelby Kirillin, a doula

Tune in

Featured Guest

Shelby Kirrilin

This Angel of Death is surprisingly upbeat.
“I know death is sad, but what’s wrong with dying?” Shelby Kirillin says, green eyes alight. “It’s OK. We’re all going to do it.”
Kirillin is a death doula — someone who guides the dying, and their families, through the end of life.
“You have written so many amazing chapters,” she tells her clients. “Write your last chapter. Put an exclamation point at the end! Make it end in a crescendo. So many people, I feel like, choose death because it’s just better than the hell that they’re living.”
In 18 years as an ICU nurse specializing in neuroscience, Kirillin witnessed too many bad deaths. She heard frantic families ask for every proc